Hurry Up and Wait!
by LadyLindariel
Summary: COMPLETE King Aragorn and Queen Arwen have been married for several years now and are expecting their first child. While his wife is in labor Aragorn finds it hard to wait out in the Halls. Slight AU and written for March's Teitho prompt Life and Death
**A/N** Thank you to Raider-K for the title

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"Estel, _gwador_ , please sit down! Your constant pacing is making me nervous," Elladan said with an amused grin playing on his face.

Aragorn's brother's pleas to sit down went unheeded. "I will not be able to sit while Arwen is in the next room struggling to bring forth our child. I feel so helpless waiting; I should be in there with her."

Rising to his feet, Elrohir placed a gentle hand on his little brother's shoulder temporarily stilling his movements. "You know it is against protocol for the men to be present while the women are birthing. Arwen is strong, and she is in the best of hands. You have nothing to fear."

Aragorn sighed heavily. He knew his brother was right, but it still did not help matters that he was not allowed to be present with his wife, especially when she was in pain. He was a healer himself not to mention king, but Hinnorhel who was the head healer and midwife had overpowered him threatening to even go as far as locking him in his rooms until the baby was born if he tried to enter the birthing chambers.

Suddenly a stout voice broke through Aragorn's thoughts. "I say we play a game. Something to help take our minds off the waiting." Aragorn turned and looked at Gimli who was sitting on a nearby step, blowing smoke rings from his pipe.

Legolas raised a brow as he turned towards Gimli. "And what do you suggest we play mellon?" He was also beginning to grow weary and impatient from all this waiting. It had now been nearing six hours since Arwen went into labor and there was still no end in sight.

Elladan had told them sometimes it could be days before the first child was born. His mother had been in labor with him and his brother for twelve hours. "I think a game would be nice," he chimed in. Looking around at his youngest brother he knew he needed to get his mind off the current situation.

Gimli thought for several minutes before a smile grew across his face. "How about we have ourselves a guessing game?"

Aragorn stopped pacing at his friend's suggestion. "A guessing game?"

"Aye. We can each write on paper what we think the baby will be, weight, length, the color of its hair and eyes."

Elladan laughed. "Gimli, I think that is a brilliant idea!'

Elrohir smirked. "That is an interesting idea; I am in. Aragorn, do you have paper and quill?"

Nodding, Aragorn motioned towards his study. "Aye, in my study."

Everyone looked at the soon to be father who was hesitating at the moment. "Well go on little brother. At this rate of movement, the baby will be here before we have had time to make our guesses," Elrohir said beginning to shove him towards the direction of his study.

Aragorn groaned, as he hesitantly left to get the supplies. After a few minutes, he returned and began to pass the paper around. When everyone had a piece of paper they each wrote their guesses on them and handed them to Aragorn.

Taking the paper's, Aragorn started to read them out loud. "Well the first guess is from Legolas, and he is going for a girl, blonde hair, blue eyes, seven pounds and twenty-one inches."

Aragorn shook with laughter. "Really Legolas?"

Legolas blushed and shrugged. "Well, it could happen."

Aragorn recomposed himself. Setting the paper down he began reading the next one. "Elladan, your guess is a male, black hair, gray eyes, six pounds nine ounces and eighteen inches long. Elrohir, you are guessing it is also a male, dark hair, gray eyes but you are saying he will be ten pounds exactly and twenty-four inches." Aragorn looked horrified. "Ten pounds!? I most certainly hope not, my poor wife!"

Elrohir chuckled. "Well, you are not exactly small yourself, brother."

Shuddering at the thought, Aragorn went onto the last sheet. "Finally, Gimli, you are guessing a girl with red hair, blue eyes and will weigh in at eight pounds and twelve ounces and will be seventeen inches." Everyone looked at Gimli with raised eyes.

"What? The pointy eared princeling can guess blonde hair and blue eyes, but I can't guess red hair?"

Everyone laughed as Legolas turned to Aragorn. "You haven't guessed, my friend. Are you not going to try and guess what you are going to have?"

Aragorn shook his head. "Nay, I am too nervous right now too. I just wish it was done already. This waiting is going to be the death of me!"

At that, a huge scream reverberated down the halls. Aragorn could not take it anymore and took off running down the corridors followed closely by his brothers' and friends. "Aragorn wait!" Elrohir exclaimed grabbing his brother by the shoulders.

Aragorn tried to break free as he heard his wife scream louder. "I cannot wait any longer! Can't you hear her screams? She is in agony!"

As his brother was trying to keep him from entering, they were interrupted by the sound of a baby's cry. Aragorn looked at the doors and then his brother who had a smile on his face. "Go on, Arwen awaits you."

Aragorn slowly opened the door and entered the room to where his wife was lying on a bed holding a small bundle. Hinnorhel and several other healers were busy cleaning Arwen up and carrying bloody linen and pots of water. When he first saw Arwen, Aragorn was taken aback by how pallid and exhausted she appeared with her long black hair pulled back. Bits of her hair were stuck to her face from sweat yet she still looked so beautiful.

Hinnorhel saw Aragorn and smiled at him. "Do not be afraid my king; your wife is doing just fine. You have a healthy baby boy. He weighed seven pounds, and was eighteen inches."

Aragorn froze at hearing he had a son. "I have a son?" He was so elated he didn't even hear what the midwife had said afterward.

Hinnorhel just smiled and gently began to guide the new father towards his wife and quietly left the new family alone.

Approaching his wife, Aragorn sat on the edge of the bed. Her eyes were glazed over in the elven sleep, but he knew she could sense his presence as she began to stir. "Aragorn, isn't he beautiful? He looks like you."

Aragorn gently picked up his son and was in awe at how tiny he was and how light he felt. He was almost afraid to hold him for fear his son would break but all that went away when his son grasped his finger and opened his small eyes. When Aragorn looked closer, he noticed they were gray, and he had little tufts of black hair.

Arwen knew her husband needn't say anything for his smile said it all. "What shall we name him?"

He thought for a moment, and without taking his eyes off his son, he whispered, "Eldarion, we will call him Eldarion."

Arwen closed her eyes in exhaustion. "I think that is a perfect name. Eldarion it is then."

When Arwen fell asleep, Aragorn sat down in a nearby chair and softly rocked his son humming an old Elvish lullaby having completely forgotten about his brothers and friends out in the other room.

They could wait, for at the moment he was ensnared by the tiny bundle of life he and his wife had created together.


End file.
